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AKRON — A Summit County judge questioned an Akron woman Monday
afternoon about why she helped her boyfriend with the trafficking of two
young women, one still in high school.

“Poor judgment,” Pearl Coffey told Judge Amy Corrigall Jones.

Jones continued to press Coffey about why.

“At the time, it was just easy money,” Coffey responded, speaking the words so softly that it was difficult to hear.

“I’m sure the prosecutors will share what you’ve said with the victims,” Jones said.

The Summit County Common Pleas judge then sentenced Coffey to six years in prison. She faced up to 9½ years.

Coffey and Darren Townsend, her boyfriend, were the first people in Summit County charged with human trafficking.

Coffey, 35, pleaded guilty under an agreement with prosecutors in
January to attempted trafficking in persons, a second-degree felony;
compelling prostitution, a third-degree felony; and corrupting another
with drugs, a fourth-degree felony.

Coffey agreed to testify against Townsend, however, she opted
against it during Townsend’s trial. She took the Fifth Amendment, which
protects people from being compelled to testify when they could
incriminate themselves.

Just before closing
arguments in his trial, Townsend, 38, pleaded guilty to all of the
charges against him. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison and faced up
to 38 years if a jury had convicted him of all of the charges against
him.

Investigators say Townsend preyed on vulnerable
women and forced them to sell themselves in exchange for money,
shelter, drugs and other items.

Prosecutors say Townsend was the ringleader, while Coffey handled the business side.

The
two of them were the first in Summit County charged with “trafficking
in persons,” which first became a chargeable offense in Ohio in 2011.
Since then, the majority of cases in Ohio have been handled at the
federal level. Throughout Ohio, there have been less than two dozen
“trafficking in persons” trials.

Detective Shane
Bates of the Cuyahoga County Regional Human Trafficking Task Force, who
helped investigate the case, told Jones during Coffey’s sentencing that
he talked to the two victims and both said they thought they were
damaged more by Townsend than Coffey. He said Coffey admitted her
involvement and cooperated with investigators.

“She did the best she could to make amends for bad choices,” he said.

Assistant Prosecutor Tom Kroll said Coffey wasn’t involved in
the more brutal crimes with Townsend, which included the repeated sexual
assault of the teenage victim, but did pick her up from her high school
and drive her to different locations where the teen sold herself for
money. Kroll said he thought a term of incarceration was appropriate.

Don Hicks, who represented Coffey, said his client feels remorseful. He said she has no prior criminal record.

“She’s as perplexed as anyone why she would fall to the level to get involved in this kind of conduct,” he said.

Coffey apologized for any harm she caused.

“I do regret ever being involved,” she said.

Jones
designated Coffey a Tier 2 sex offender, which means she will be
required to register her address with the sheriff’s office every 180
days for the next 25 years. She warned Coffey that, should she apply for
an early release, she will be looking over her prison record to help
decide if she deserves it.

“Good luck,” Jones told her.

““She’s as perplexed as anyone why she would fall to the level to get involved in this kind of conduct,” he said.”

‘Easy money’: Akron woman tells judge why she helped in human trafficking